Legends
by rmcrms5
Summary: Companion short story for Creating a Mate. This will give the back story of what happened between Charlie, Renee and Joshua Uley. It begins with Charlie's phone call to Renee telling her about Bella & Edward.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This will be short, just a few chapters. It hasn't been beta'd so all mistakes are mine. Sorry about that.**

**I am donating a o/s to the Texas Wildfire Relief. It's titled "Sins of the Past". It is Carlisle's pov after chapter 22 of Creating a Mate. You'll find out why he's concerned about Bella and hear the phone call to his mysterious old friend.**

**I live in a small town in central Texas less than 20 miles from Bastrop. My parents were eating at the local Mexican restaurant and my daughter's best friend was shopping at the Wal-Mart when the Bastrop fire broke out. My parents left Bastrop just after the fire began. My daughter's friend (17 yrs-old) spent 30 hours camped out at Wal-Mart due to roadblocks that prevented her from coming home. Our neighbor's elderly mother lost her home that was built by her now deceased son and all her memories. Another friend was picking up their dog from the vet and came home with 12 other cats and dogs workers shoved in her SUV as they evacuated every animal they could before the fire reached the clinic.**

**Please consider donating as little as $5. It will earn you a compilation of stories from some very talented writers. **

**Texasfires (.) ysar (.) info**

**Disclaimer: SM still owns Twilight. I just play with her characters for fun.**

_**Legends**_

_**Summer 2010**_

I stumbled out of the house to get away from the noise of the sportscaster droning on and on about some team that was expected to beat some other team this weekend. Phil was talking over the television telling me his views on why he thinks the guy on the TV is wrong. Like I really give a damn. I mean, honestly? The fate of the world isn't relying on who wins a stupid baseball game. I'm dealing with a crisis right now that far outweighs some stupid game.

I was certain I had misunderstood what Charlie was saying. It had to be because the noise inside the house was so loud it made my ears ring. Charlie couldn't have really said what I thought I heard him say. Charlie mumbles sometimes when he talks to me which makes him hard to understand. Cell phone reception isn't always the best between Forks and Jacksonville. I may be developing swimmer's ear which could affect my hearing.

I was grasping at straws to avoid facing the truth. I took a deep steadying breath and listened as each word filled me with more fear.

"-I wasn't sure at first, but they seem like decent people—vampires." He paused and I could picture him standing in that tiny kitchen of his tugging on his mustache. It was a habit he had when he needed to process information before finally accepting the conclusion. There was a lot of mustache tugging before he accepted our marriage was over.

"God I still can't believe I'm saying that. They act like your typical family and their coven leader is an actual surgeon at the hospital, if you can believe that. He's surrounded by people every day who are hurt and bleeding and he doesn't eat them. I called the hospital this morning to check on him and Dr Mays couldn't sing his praises enough." Charlie's voice was filled with surprise and disbelief.

"I swear Renee I haven't seen anything like the connection Bella has with the one named Edward since—well—since you and Josh actually. But that's a good thing right? I mean, isn't that how it's supposed to be when someone imprints? Alice—that's the hyper one I was telling you about—said they do the same thing."

The sound of a poorly stifled yawn could be heard through the phone.

"I left Bella with the Cullens for the day. I remember how hard it was for you to be away from Josh. You'd be proud of me, Renee. I'm being supportive and keeping an open mind here. I don't know the particulars about how imprinting, or whatever they call it, is supposed to work between them, but I'm sure they'll explain it all to us. You should probably plan a visit soon so you can meet him for yourself. You're welcome to stay with us, but I'm sure you and Phil would be more comfortable at the lodge. Bella will be happy to see you and I'm sure she has questions. You know mother-daughter stuff she wouldn't want to discuss with her old man." He cleared his throat nervously.

"Look, I've been up over twenty-four hours and it's shaping up to be a long day again today. I'm running on caffeine since I didn't get breakfast and Mark is still out sick so I won't have time to grab lunch either. Bella will be home this evening so you can call her then."

Silence filled the line as he waited again for me to say something, but I couldn't. Too many emotions were choking me, making speech impossible. The sandy beach and Atlantic Ocean in front of me disappeared as my vision narrowed down to pinpricks of light and white noise filled my ears. My mind screamed the accusations I couldn't voice aloud.

_How did this happen? Where were you? Where was Billy? Why wasn't someone paying attention to my baby and protecting her from monsters? Where is her imprint? As unlikely as it may be, if her imprint wasn't in Forks then why wasn't she introduced to the pack in Alaska?_

I left my baby with Charlie to keep her safe. She was supposed to meet someone. She was supposed to fall in love. She was supposed to be happy - and if I allowed myself a moment of selfishness – she was supposed to help me atone for my mistakes in spitting on destiny.

How did everything go so horribly wrong?

The phone slipped through my numb fingers and I heard it hit the wooden floor of our deck. My limbs failed me and I sank into the chair behind me. Did I disconnect the call before dropping the phone? Did I tell him to give Bella my love? I couldn't remember. My thoughts were a violent storm rolling and churning in my brain.

"I'm heading to the ballpark. Practice shouldn't be too late. Do you want me to pick up something for dinner on my way home tonight?" Phil asked. I hadn't even realized he'd come out of the house or was standing in front of me.

I nodded absently still incapable of coherent speech at the moment. He leaned down and kissed my cheek, unaware of the turmoil taking place inside my head before he jogged down the porch steps to climb into his car and leave. It's what I liked about Phil; his inability to see beyond what I portrayed on the surface. He was content living with the falsehoods of our relationship. Maybe he feared if he looked too deep he wouldn't like what he found.

I vaguely heard the tap of his car horn as he drove away, drawing my attention momentarily and stared at my hand I'd unknowingly raised to wave in front of me. The brief flash of fire from the ring on my finger caught my attention. I held my hand out further to watch the sun catch the prisms and throw colors of the rainbow across my face. It was a beautiful ring; a little over three carats and surrounded by smaller diamonds making it appear even larger.

I hated it, but I'd made my bed and I'd wallow in it until the day I died or Phil realized he deserved so much more than what I gave. I'd promised myself this time I would stick it out until the bitter end. Only then would I find the peace denied me in this life.

I had no one to blame but myself. I made my choices and I had to live with the consequences. I lost everyone I ever loved because of my own foolishness and now my daughter was being affected by those same decisions. What was that old saying? Something about _'sins of the father'_? Or in this case, sins of the mother coming back to haunt her children.

Blue water and tan sand met my gaze as I took in my surroundings; anything to escape the green from my past. I was as far removed as I could be from Forks, Washington without actually leaving the country. I was afraid of flying so Hawaii was out of the question. I was across the country and at the bottom on my side. Almost a perfect diagonal from where I started. Was my subconscious still tethering me to the past? Had I run in a straight line so that I could always find my way back?

I closed my eyes on the calming view and gave in once more to the piercing pain in my chest that never ended. Never lessened. Pain that I would feel in the depth of my soul until the day I died. There was nothing to go back to anymore. He was gone. Long buried beneath the ground he fought and died for. My guilt would forever haunt me.

I slowly made my way inside and let my feet carry me to the closet in Bella's bedroom. It was still decorated in lavender, Bella's favorite color when she was thirteen. Did she still like the color or had her preference changed over the years.

I wouldn't know since she never called or came to visit any longer. I called her at least once a week, but she never answered my calls. What I knew of the young woman my daughter had become came through conversations with Charlie and though I knew he tried, he's still just a man. He wouldn't think her favorite color would be important enough to share with me and I couldn't bring myself to ask him.

It wouldn't be the same.

In trying to make up for the past, I'd lost my daughter.

I knew she was hurt and angry when I cut her visits short. She didn't understand then. She needed to stay home during summer vacations so she'd have more time to spend around the reservation. How could her imprint find her if she spent her holidays with me? I'd sacrificed my relationship with my only child to make up for my mistakes.

It was supposed to be a temporary sacrifice. I always figured when her imprint found her she would have questions and I'd be the one she turned to for answers. She'd let me back into her life. Who better to turn to than her mother? She would understand then the pain I lived with and that I loved her more than my own life and had never stopped.

I just couldn't stay in Forks, surrounded by green and gray when I desperately needed tan and blue. I remembered blue eyes as dark as midnight when he was filled with passion. Or because of me; pain.

I touched the blue topaz pendent I always wore around my neck; the color of his eyes when he laughed. It was my fault his eyes weren't filled with light more often.

I rubbed my thumb softly against my fingertips and conjured the memory of my fingers disappearing beneath thick tan fur. I could almost feel the texture on my skin.

My laughter was harsh and loud in the silence. I had run from lush green forests and the almost constant gray of rain swollen clouds of Forks, but I still hadn't outrun my past. I'd surrounded myself in it.

I pulled out the dusty shoebox hidden in the closet behind blankets we never use and climbed onto the bed, crossing my legs Indian-style and stared at the lid that hid my secrets. I wiped my hand across the top almost reverently, smearing the layer of dust until it coated my hand and fell onto the lavender bedspread. Taking a deep breath I steeled myself for the inevitable pain and removed the lid, laying it carefully to the side and to look at the contents inside.

The contents would mean nothing to anyone who might stumble across my box. To anyone else they were nothing more than garbage that should have been thrown out years ago, but to me they were more precious than gold. Inside rested a broken yellow strap from a cheap pair of flip flops, a torn piece of cloth with a black button still attached, a broken stick; the tip charred and crusted in old gunk from roasting marshmallows all those years ago and the skeletal remains of a maple leaf. And an old photograph, taken by mistake-a simple press of a finger on the wrong button of the camera had unwittingly captured the exact moment our lives changed.

If I close my eyes and inhale I can still smell the smoke from the bonfire. I can feel the cool, wet sand beneath my feet. I can hear the distinctive sound of the Pacific Ocean crashing against the cliffs. And I can remember the exact moment I saw him. My heart and my soul, my pain and my guilt.

My Joshua.


	2. Chapter 2

**As a reminder, Legends is Renee's companion story for Creating A Mate. It hasn't been beta'd so please forgive any mistakes.**

**I'll be posting Carlisle's outtake at midnight tonight as well. What a great start to the new year! The next chapter for CAM should be up in mid-Jan.**

**I wish everyone a safe and happy New Year!**

**Disclaimer: Looking into 2012, nothing's changed and SM still owns everything Twilight.**

Chapter 2

Summer 1992

My hands flapped in the air frantically as I tried to keep my balance on the board beneath my feet. My scream was part laughter as the water won and I went under again.

I broke the surface, spitting out salt water and climbed back onto the surfboard tethered to my ankle. This time I wisely chose to ride the wave in on my stomach.

"You need to find your center, Renee!"

I raised my middle finger in response and focused on getting to shore without falling off the board again. "Show-off," I grumbled watching him ride the wave he'd caught.

I stomped across the sand, ignoring the laughter coming from my friends spread out on beach towels in front of me.

"Okay I admit it. I can't surf. Happy now?" I huffed. I struggled to get out of my wetsuit then kicked it away from me in irritation before dropping to my knees on my towel.

My friends; Sandra and Rosanne were laid out, propped up on their elbows to watch the guys still out in the water. Summer would be over soon and days like today would become extinct. We'd graduated from Forks High School in May and in another month our group would be split up as we all went off our separate ways to begin college or join the military.

I wasn't doing either of those things, much to my parent's growing list of disappointments.

"Renee you knew that going into the water. Why do let Charlie get to you? It's not like you care what he thinks anymore? Or do you?"

Two sets of eyes watched me, waiting for me to crack. I knew about their bet to see how long I'd hold out before giving in, but I had news for them. I was tougher than they knew.

I shrugged my shoulders, uncaring how heartless it made me appear to them. "I guess I just wanted to prove him wrong and rub his nose in it or something."

I stared out over the water and glared at the subject of my callous behavior catching yet another wave perfectly to ride in.

Charlie Swan stood a little over six foot, had broad shoulders, a narrow waist and muscular arms and legs. He had a body so tight you could bounce a quarter off of it. I know. I've done it. He also had the most gorgeous brown eyes and thick black hair. He wasn't all show either. He knew exactly how to use the gifts God gave him. I swear I've seen stars on more than one occasion.

In school he had been class president, homecoming king, captain of the football team. All the standard clichés of high school hierarchy. Charlie Swan was top dog in our school, but instead of being a smug, cocky jackass, he was easygoing and a friend to everyone.

In short, he was every girl's dream.

His only fault, in my eyes, was that he was always so serious. Everything about Charlie Swan screamed small town and responsibility and I wanted no part of it. His dad had been killed by a drunk driver when we were in sixth grade and he was left to stumble through puberty without any male guidance until his mother remarried three years later. His step-dad was the cop who'd given them the news.

We dated through all through high school. Living in a small town didn't offer a lot of options to choose from and Charlie was considered the best catch around. I knew he was serious about us while I was only doing time until graduation. I felt guilty for stringing him along for so long, but I didn't want to spend my senior year alone and dateless.

The night of graduation I shocked everyone and broke his heart when I turned down his marriage proposal. He had our whole life planned out to the last detail. He was entering the police academy in the fall and I could go to school to get whatever degree I wanted. "_Teachers were always needed_," he'd suggested. He thought it would be great if we got married before school started so we could save on expenses with only one space to live in. He already had a job lined up to join the Forks Police Department after he completed the academy. We could buy a cute little house in town close to the elementary school and park for the two-point-five kids he had planned. I'd be trading in my hatchback for a minivan complete with a large dog hanging out the window I'm sure.

I had other plans. I was a free spirit and wanted to explore the world before settling down. My plan was to get in my trusty yellow hatchback, head east and never look back. I was born restless and it was only getting worse. There had been a sense of anticipation building in my chest all summer and I just knew I was going to burst soon if I didn't get out of this hick town.

I watched Charlie over the top of my coke can as he finally came out of the water only to be surrounded by the blond airheads formerly known as cheerleaders. I may not have wanted Charlie for myself, but it didn't mean I didn't still care about him. I didn't want to see him hook up with just anyone on the rebound. He deserved better than some of the sluts who drooled after him the moment it became known he was free.

His friend, Billy Black followed him out of the water, ignoring the bimbo squad and headed straight for his girlfriend, Sarah. Billy was enigma. He took his Native American heritage very seriously. He was in line to become the next chief after his father. He towered over Charlie by at least four inches and his shoulders were massive. I could never put my finger on it, but there was something odd about him.

Charlie and I double dated a few times over the past year with Billy and Sarah. He moved so silently and his eyes were always scanning our surroundings. It didn't matter if we were in Port Angeles or just hanging out at home. I joked once that if he believed in evolution I'd say he was descended from a German Shepard or some other kind of watchdog. I learned Billy Black was also overly sensitive. He'd never be accused of being my biggest fan and since I broke his best friend's heart I was public enemy number one in his eyes.

I recognized several of the other guys with them from the reservation, along with a couple of Charlie's old teammates, laughing and tossing a football around from their spot on the beach. I rolled my eyes at the girls with them who squealed like frightened mice anytime the ball was thrown to them.

"Unbelievable," I sneered. "Why play if you're afraid of the ball."

Sandra nudged me with her elbow. "Why don't we show these bitches how it's done?"

"Sure, why not? I didn't spend four years dating the captain of the football team and not learn a few things," I replied.

I stood and straightened my bikini bottoms, sliding on my new flip-flops in the process. I glanced down at Roseanne still lying on her towel.

"You coming?"

She laughed and tugged her sunglasses off the top of her head, hiding her eyes behind them and laying down again. "Not on your life. I don't have anything to prove. I've got my guy and I'd be stupid to screw that up."

"That's right, you're the future queen of the sporting goods world," I sneered, half-jokingly and half in envy. I wasn't jealous of her relationship with Vernon Newton, but I was envious of the love and contentment she felt, even knowing the rest of her life would be filled with inventory and selling crap to hikers and fishermen they didn't really need.

"You got it," she grinned, settling into a comfortable position and shooing Sandra and I away. "Go prove whatever you need to, to a guy whose opinion doesn't mean anything to you and quit blocking my sun."

Sandra laughed, shaking her head and tugged on my arm. "Come on. Let's leave Roseanne to her dreams of fishing lures and tennis balls."

We strode across the beach toward Charlie and his group. Sarah had her ever-present camera out, snapping pictures of everyone, Billy was stacking driftwood for a fire later in the evening, Charlie was tossing the football in the air while he chatted with his friends and the slut-brigade was circling like vultures. Tiffany, our former head cheerleader and my most determined replacement in Charlie's affections, noticed my approach. She ran up to Charlie and took the football from him, giggling for him to 'go long'. He covered his laughter with a cough, but obliged her anyway, jogging away slowly. He knew the only thing Tiffany was good at throwing was a tantrum.

She grinned at Charlie when he stopped and turned back to face her, hands up, ready to catch the ball. She cut her eyes at me and her lips lifted in a taunting smirk and she put everything she had into throwing the ball at Charlie.

But like I said, the only thing she was good at throwing was a tantrum. Instead of the ball going straight at Charlie like it should have, it went wild toward the tree line. I was closest to it and ran to catch it.

My focus was on the trajectory of the wobbly ball and not on where I was running. Several things happened at once; I jumped for the ball, catching it easily only to have my right foot slide sideways in the shifting sand when I landed, the strap on my right flip-flop broke and I fell into the wall that had stepped out of the forest right in front of me, knocking us both to the ground.

My breath was forced out of my chest on impact and I heard an answering "Umph" come from the wall. Steel bands circled my waist holding me firmly against the wall as we fell. I lay on top of the wall for a moment, trying to catch my breath again.

When I opened my eyes I was gazing into eyes as blue as the ocean crashing against the nearby cliffs and the world stopped. Suddenly I felt as though I had no past or future, there was only this moment suspended indefinitely in time. My skin was on fire where his hands rested on my bare back. My fingertips tingled where they grasped his wide shoulders.

We studied each other unabashedly. I recognized the features that identified him as Quileute right away. Then I absorbed the features that made him unique—special—his straight, coal black hair cut short in contrast to the traditional long hair of other men of his tribe, his strong square jawline, sensuous lips and finally back to those stormy blue eyes.

His eyes widened in surprise or shock as they held mine captive in their piercing gaze. His expression shifted from surprise, to an epiphany of some sort, to acceptance, to peace in the space of a few seconds. I noticed a rumbling sound coming from his chest. The sound stirred something inside me and I didn't want to move from his arms. Ever.

"I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?" I asked for lack of something better to say.

The soft rumble in his chest deepened to a chuckle and a slow grin spread across his face, flashing his white teeth. He raised his head from the sand and kissed my nose, surprising me. "Little girl, it would take something a lot bigger than you to ever hurt me. You're like a feather against the cliffs."

Normally I'd be offended at his comment; my feminist sensibilities enraged, but instead I felt myself relaxing further into his embrace and his arms tightened in response. My fingers stroked the short strands of hair at the nape of his neck and he closed his eyes briefly in contentment at my touch before opening again.

"Do you feel it?" he asked as he stared at me in wonder.

"What is it?" I whispered, nodding, afraid that talking would ruin the moment. Instinctively I seemed to know what he needed from me. The rumbling sound in his chest became louder as my touch became firmer against his neck, changing from timid strokes to confident long raking scratches at the base of his head; my fingers slid further into his hair with each stroke.

"You're my imprint, my soul mate. My ancestors created me to be yours for eternity. I was a fool to laugh at our legends. I should have known _all_ the legends were true and not just the ones I wanted to believe. There will never be another for me."

"You don't even know me," I interjected. His declaration didn't shock me like I thought it would. Part of me had already accepted that for whatever reason this man could fill the place inside me that had been aching for months. The restlessness inside me was gone, replaced with serenity I'd never felt before.

He smiled, brushing my hair back from where it had fallen like a curtain around us. I closed my eyes and rested my cheek against his palm. His other hand came up to hold my face between his large palms and guided my face down to his lips.

"I'm Joshua and I know you're mine, just as you know I'm yours. The rest, we'll have a lifetime to learn about each other."

At the first touch of his lips against mine, fireworks exploded behind my eyes. The soft brush of his mouth ignited a hunger that needed to be slaked and he tilted my head to deepen his kiss. Our tongued tangled, tasting and devouring each other in our hunger. I whimpered against his lips, clinging to his shoulders, trying to climb into his skin. I _needed_ to become one with him.

"Please," I begged against his lips when he broke our kiss to breathe.

He stood, pulling me up with him without breaking his hold and lifted me into his arms and I rested my head against his chest. He took a single step toward the forest where he'd come from only to come to an abrupt halt. His arms tightened around me and he sighed heavily.

I looked up to see what was wrong and let my gaze sweep across the stunned faces of everyone on the beach—I'd forgotten they were even here. Billy was standing next to Charlie, who was staring at me with remorse and acceptance. Billy had one hand resting on his shoulder as though in sympathy with his other arm firmly around Sarah's waist. Billy ignored me, glaring at Joshua with what could only be described as a smug, told-you-so smirk. Sarah, who had always been nice to me before I broke up with Charlie, stared at us with concern before turning to a young woman who must have just joined the group.

She was obviously Quileute and very beautiful. She held a young boy who couldn't have been more than two or three years-old on her hip. One of the guys from the reservation who'd been playing football earlier had his arm around her shoulders, holding her while she cried into his chest. The little boy squirmed in her arms to be let down and she let him slide down to the ground, obviously too overwhelmed by whatever grief she was dealing with to fight him.

The little boy ran toward us, stumbling in the sand before reaching us. My legs were lowered to the ground so I was standing. Joshua leaned down to pick up the child when he reached us and held him in his arms.

"Hey little man. What'cha got there?" he asked softly. I heard a trace of sadness underlying the love in his voice when he spoke.

Unease slithered down my spine and wrapped around my chest like icy tentacles as I listened to the little boy speak to him in choppy Native American words I didn't understand, while he showed Joshua a seashell he'd found on the beach. I took a step away, overwhelmed by a sudden need to run away only to feel Joshua's fingers wrap around my wrist holding me to him. I looked up at him and saw the unspoken pleading for understanding in his eyes.

"Stay."

I looked between him and the little boy in his arms who was enthralled with his treasure. "Who is he?" I asked, fearful of the answer I suspected.

"This is Samuel," he answered. I waited for the proverbial other shoe to drop and watched the man who looked like he could move mountains swallow nervously.

"Sam is our son." I turned to face the angry feminine voice who'd answered for him. She stared up at Joshua; her red-rimmed eyes full of betrayal and accusation, then turned her glare on me, looking me up and down scornfully. "And Joshua is _my_ husband."

I waited for only a second for Joshua to dispute the claim before tugging my wrist out of his hold and ran into the forest.

I heard him call out using a native term of endearment I'd heard Billy use with Sarah in the past. I laughed hysterically through my broken sobs—he didn't even know my name.

I ran blindly deeper into the forest, unmindful of the tree limbs tearing at my arms and hair as I ran. I didn't know where I was headed, only that I had to outrun the searing pain in my chest. I tripped over a tree root sticking up from the ground and fell on my hands and knees. I curled into a ball, not caring if I ever got up again—the earth could open up and swallow me whole and that would be okay with me.

I heard a wolf howl nearby and the thunderous sound of what sounded like a horse tearing through the forest towards me. Looking up I came face to face with the largest wolf I'd ever seen. Its blue eyes were crazed and filled with pain, its chest heaved beneath tan fur. I scrambled to my feet and began backing away from the gaping mouth full of teeth as it came closer until my back slammed into a tree halting my retreat.

It crept ever closer watching my movements carefully as though gauging my next move until we stood nose to nose. I closed my eyes and waited for the mutant wolf to attack.

"Please don't be afraid. I'd never hurt you."

My eyes flew open and I stared at Joshua standing naked in front of me where the wolf had been only a second before. The same pain-filled blue eyes stared at me and his lips twisted in an apologetic smile.

"Have you ever heard the legends of our people?"

Between the intense emotional upheaval I was feeling and the adrenaline rush of fear with what he was trying to tell me…I screamed and then fainted.


End file.
